Current_Issue.tar.gz - The Cake Is Not a Lie!

Linux is a kernel. Before I go any further, it's important to know
that “Linux” is really just the kernel that powers our awesome
computer systems. Before we get into heated debates about .deb and .rpm, or
holy wars over GNOME and KDE, we never can forget that Linux really is just
the kernel.

Likewise, cake is just the sweet bread stuff that hides under the frosting.
Sure, icing, candles, plastic superheros and burning flames are what make
a cake into a party, but at the base of things, cake is just that bread
stuff. This issue, we talk about frosted cake and discuss the wonderful
world of decorating. (If you prefer, feel free to use a
mashed-potato-and-gravy metaphor instead. I realize we're not all cake fans.)

My first suggestion for this issue is that you turn to our centerfold.
Granted, it's not really in the center (it's on pages 62 and 63), but
it is a two-page spread that presents a ton of popular distributions. Our
own Justin Ryan filled in the abundant blanks for us, and it's worth
more than a cursory glance. If you like what you see, perhaps the next
logical step would be to read Jes Fraser's article discussing the
history of Linux distributions. Jes shows the whole gamut, starting
from the Usenet post on the MINIX newsgroup.

What is MINIX, you ask? That's a good question. Bruce Byfield happily
answers by discussing the present-day operating system that was the
basis for Linus' early kernel. Although certainly not as popular as our
coveted Linux, MINIX is a good way to learn about our roots without the
complications of different colored frosting—er, distributions. Working
with MINIX, while still being a Linux user, might start to make you think
about the philosophy of your operating system. It certainly did for Dan
Sawyer, and this month, he discusses some of the fundamental issues that
Linux users face. What does it mean to be free? Is commercialism a good
or bad thing? Is butter cream or Dream Whip the best icing for cake?
However you slice it, Linux is many different things for many different
people.

I know some of you are getting worried that this issue is starting to sound
more like a college lecture than your normal monthly dose of tech goodies.
Fear not; we have the perfect snack for your geeky sweet tooth as well.
Mick Bauer wraps up his series on OpenVPN; Dave Taylor gets
intense with some sophisticated HTML forms, and Reuven M. Lerner adds
more about MongoDB.

Kyle Rankin proves that good workers are workers that can make
computers do their work for them. He demonstrates making config files
using nmap. It may sound strange, but it certainly will save you some
grunt work and leave you time for other, more enjoyable things. If one of
the things you enjoy doing is reading books, you'll want to read Dirk
Elmendorf's article on library software. My wife is a librarian, and I
can assure you that the days of the card catalog are over. Thankfully, Linux can
step in and manage your books, whether you have only one shelf or
enough books to overwhelm Mr Dewey himself.

No matter what your favorite cake is or what kind of frosting you prefer,
everyone needs a pan to bake it in—that means hardware. With Linux,
it's hard to find a limit to what we can use as an installation base.
Kira Scarlett talks about a few of the less-common architectures and some
reasons you might want to try them out. Mike Diehl reviews the
Pogoplug device. It's tiny, cute, and it runs Linux. There
are so many devices that run Linux, sometimes it's hard to choose a
platform. Bill Childers and Kyle Rankin don't seem to have that
problem, however, and this month they set out to prove why their cell-phone
choice is best. As usual, I'm going to try to stay out of it.

So this month, whether you favor apt-get over emerge, or like fedoras
instead of lizards, we all can agree to like cake—and the Linux kernel.
Hopefully, you'll learn a few things, but more important,
we hope you're inspired to try different distributions. Because
really, it's hard to pick bad cake.

Shawn Powers is the Associate Editor for Linux
Journal. He's also the
Gadget Guy for LinuxJournal.com, and he has an interesting collection
of vintage Garfield coffee mugs. Don't let his silly hairdo fool you,
he's a pretty ordinary guy and can be reached via e-mail at
shawn@linuxjournal.com. Or, swing by the #linuxjournal IRC
channel on Freenode.net.

______________________

Shawn Powers is a Linux Journal Associate Editor. You might find him on IRC, Twitter, or training IT pros at CBT Nuggets.